We visited on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. They were fairly busy, but not overly so. Still, our waiter seemed to forget about us. My niece waited 10 minutes for ketchup for her burger, which was incredibly bland, no seasoning on the meat. I ordered a cheese steak. The meat was dry and tasteless. There was about a teaspoonful of cheese on the sandwhich, had to ask for more. The fries were good, as were the cheese curds. Overpriced for the quality of the food. Won't go back. read more

I went here last Thursday with my boyfriend and we decided to stop in for lunch. I ordered a hamburger with garlic fries and my boyfriend opted for the fish and chips. Both meals were delicious and consisted of an ample amount of food. However, our server seemed a little irritated and it looked like it was a chore to serve us, but besides that we enjoyed our meal. Prices were pretty fair for a touristy location; especially for lunch, so it wasn't too terrible of a deal. read more

Nice place. We came here originally for the public bathroom in the amazing hotel, then decided to stop in for lunch. I saw the others reviews and was worried. But our experience was great. Fast service, friendly service, and good food. I ordered fish to split with my son, and when they brought it, they had split it to two full plates with two pieces each and both plates loaded with yummy chips. That is so nice! read more

Average but good food, average pricing. Nice outdoor area with view of historic properties. Service- average.

Don't be fooled by the previous reviews. This place offers good food, good service with a charming historical touch. We both had delicious Rubens. This place is turning into a pleasant tradition for us :) read more

Horrible service. My four friends and I sat down at a table and the only server we saw went to a number of tables and asked them if they would like anything while they waited or if they were ready to order, every time walking right past us and not acknowledging us. We never had a person approach us for the fifteen minutes we sat there. Needless to say we got up and left taking our appetites and money with us. read more

Stopped in at 2 pm today for a quick bite after being ignored at 111. We weren't greeted right away, but once we were noticed we were seated and wait staff arrived in a timely fashion. We had cheese curds which were little cubes of heaven, the bleu cheese soup and chili. Each item was delicious but the chili is spicy so take note. We had a good experience. read more

I have eaten at The General a few times, but not regularly. Usually we come here for the Thanksgiving buffet, which is reasonably priced and a good value with lots of selections. They use the Courtyard Restaurant adjacent for the buffet on most major holidays using the same menu, basically. I would come back again for Thanksgiving in lieu of cooking for two at home. For regular dinner, the menu is varied enough so there is something for everyone. Reasonable prices and fairly good food. Last night we went there for our Valentine Anniversary. In addition to the regular menu, they had a list of specials just for Valentine's Day. I ordered the beef tenderloins with portobello mushroom sauce with a baked potato and mixed veges and a side salad. The beef was done to order and very good. I would order it again. Hubby ordered the chicken marsala, also from the specials menu. Oops! Here's where the trouble starts. They brought out a chicken filet smothered in marinara sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan. Not a single mushroom, or marsala wine sauce to be seen, although it was described that way on the menu. Our waitress went to the kitchen and came back saying they would bring out another chicken breast with the mushrooms, free of charge. That was nice, but really the only right thing to do. What really bothered me is the waitress tried to pawn off the chicken parmesan as their 'usual chicken marsala' they always serve at weddings and such. And the replacement chicken came out smothered with mushrooms but later noted there was nothing marsala about it. A chicken breast with sauted mushrooms. Later another waitress walked by and said about the replacement, that's what chicken marsala should look like. (Before we saw there was no marsala.) Said they had a new cook that wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. I appreciated her candor much more than the waitress that tried to BS us. In either case, the food was prepared nicely, albeit incorrectly. They shouldn't list items on their menu that they can't deliver. That goes for the wine list too. They didn't have the Talus pinot noir shown on the wine list and instead offered Beringer. They need a broader selection. All in all, the entire dining experience was pleasant except for the chicken fiasco. The atmosphere was very conducive to elegant, romantic dining, the piano player is a nice touch (he's there for the buffets too). If hubby had ordered something else maybe we never would have known they don't know what chicken marsala is. The thing is ... they don't have anything like chicken parmesan on any of their menus. Bon Appetit! read more

We went here because my friend had had great food here in the past. The food was good but the service was beyond frustrating. While there, at least one table left because they were not acknowledged. This might be understandable if the restaurant was busy but there were five tables and two servers!! We had to ask for refills on our drinks the few times that our server checked on us. Our friend ordered a white sangria and our server told the bartender and the bartender cleaned the coffee maker and bar before she got around to making the drink. We got our food, ate, and waited for at least ten minutes before getting our bill. We could have walked out and no one would have noticed. Again, the food was good but the service stunk so you might want to try some of the other options that Galena has. read more

Reading the other reviews I'm confused when people complained about the food. It's solid bar food and I have no complaints. The service is slower, true, but who's really in a big rush in Galena? It's a cozy little place that has seriously amazing bloody marys. The types of people who come in and out of the place range from tourists like myself to a local artist drawing to people bringing their computers in and working. It's a good atmosphere with friendly bartenders! I'd just recommend going in when you're planning on hanging out for an hour. read more

This place is filthy. You know when you get your food you are getting something from the frozen section at the grocery store. They don't accept credit. The place smells like sweat and stink. Go anywhere else but here in Galena. read more

In a tourist haven like Galena, choices for eating abound. The General's Restaurant in the Desoto House hotel is a great spot for fine dining. Because tourists are the primary diners, casual dress is appropriate. The menu includes all the items you'd expect at a fine dining restaurant and the prices are reasonable. I had the New York strip steak and it was cooked just the way I expected it to be; the side of wilted spinach was very good. My wife had the Filet Minion and she enjoyed it a much as I enjoyed my steak. If you're in Galena and are up for some fine dining, stop in at The General's Restaurant. read more

Had a wonderful Anniversary dinner sitting near tha last sighting of the mysterious Lady in Black. This haunted building turns out incredible food. I highly recommend the blue cheese soup. The seasonal veggies were fresh and tasty and the appetizers were interesting. Crispy duck legs could have been a meal by themselves, but we over ate and had juicy perfectly cooked steaks. Unfortunately, we didn't have room for dessert, but the menu looked great. Although we had no ghostly encouters in this historic building, we have great memories of a lovely meal. read more

My husband and I were nervous about bringing our 1 1/2 year old to a nice restaurant, but everyone was so accommodating from the second we sat down. Out waiter Jeff was absolutely amazing and proactive. So many people told us to try other restaurants in the area, but after this experience, we will absolutely be back and recommend everyone try Generals'. read more

Good service. Good atmosphere. Good coffee. Had the fried cod special, very hot, crispy it wasn't bad. Fries were good, slaw was quite bland but was crisp. Only $10. read more

We actually ate here before back in 2012 and back then was a nice good place for lunch. We were there again for lunch yesterday and have to say it was a disappointment. Lots of gnats flying around, restaurant wasn't clean and food wasn't good. We will not eat here again. read more

White chicken chili was delicious! Beautiful, romantic atmosphere. Just love all the history. Really lovely place. Service was great too. No complaints here! read more

Service was good but we were 1 of 2 tables. Food: club sandwich had too much mayo sqeezed out onto my hand too much. The toast was thin white not fresh and really crumbly. The sweet potatoe fries were cut like thick pickle slices. My boyfriend had the pulled pork on a pretzel bun. He said it was terrible. The pork was shredded without sauce. It was dry and his french fries were stale. read more

We have visited Galena many times and we always stay at the DeSoto House. We frequently eat appetizers at the Green Street Tavern but for some reason we never go to the Generals Restaurant. Until now. Four of us ate here this evening and couldn't believe how great the food and service was. We made a repeat reservation on the spot for another night on our trip. The servers Holli and Kristina were friendly and attentive. We were so happy to have found this hidden little gem! read more

After we got noticed we had great service. Even tho my meal had missing things they brought it to me once I mentioned it. They have the best cheese steak sandwich with carmalized onions on a pretzel bun and beer cheese sauce. I DO recommend this place to anyone that comes to Galena, Illinois read more

The worst dinner in Galena. The food took 45 minutes to be served sandwiches. Are bill was completely wrong. It took a total of 2 hrs for supper. The manager took 3 tries before we had write out our own bill. She then stated she did not have the authority to offer a discount. Out of a party of 9 people not one person liked our over priced food. Everything we ordered was soggy. Never again. read more

Horrible food and service. Ordered pulled pork nachos-$10 appetizer-came with cold cheese sauce-worse & more expensive than any arena or ballpark concession stand. Bartender was too busy washing glasses with only 2 people at his bar to get drinks for 2 more guests-same case when we asked for the check- too busy washing glasses to pick up & run credit card & too busy talking to his friends about how he's currently couch surfing, except when he stays in his mommy's guest room-also mentioned how he was "stuck" in the bar until closing @ 11pm. read more

Nice atmosphere but food came out cold crab cakes were mushy. Ate at another Resturant at same hotel and food was also cold. Waitress did not seem to care. Waitress went away and never came back every time she went away. read more

This is a very nice downtown restaurant. It is attached to the DeSoto House Hotel and serves very good food. The bleu cheese soup is excellent and the fried pita bread with cheese/artichoke sauce was great. Prices are definitely reasonable and the Cuban sandwich, though not quite traditional, was still very good. I will definitely be back. read more

I've been to Green Street Tavern about four times since moving to Galena. I have to say that I've always been pleased with the food, the service and the value. In my last visit with a couple of friends, they were very busy at lunch on a weekday, but the service was fast, efficient and seamless. I like the menu choices and have tried salads, sandwiches and a quesadilla. I have only been here for lunch. It may just be in the off season, but there are daily specials for around $9.00 such as meatloaf or ribs. I like the bar, the historic atmosphere of the dining rooms, and the staff have always been helpful and friendly. I would probably list the tavern as one of my favorite lunch spots here. They don't seem to just rest their reputation on the historic and classy ambience, but they actually serve good portions of decent food and deliver it in a fast and professional manner, even when it's busy. read more

This is my second time coming to the Generals Restaurant and again I am as thrilled as the first time. The steak is amazing and so is the staff. They checked up on me just enough and both my meals ran smoothly! Never had a better experience. 10/10 will be back! read more

Stopped in for a Bloody Mary and the game. Great atmosphere, good service, nostalgic; we enjoyed our short visit. We took a brief look at the hotel as well, we liked what we saw so we will be coming back hopefully to spend the night. read more

A great, casual place for lunch or a supper. Nice, rustic atmosphere and a varied, eclectic menu restaurant. Good serviced, as well, and the food was VERY good. It's in the DeSoto House Hotel at street level. read more

My wife and I frequent Galena a lot and had heard really good things about Green Street Tavern so we decided to give it a try. The service was awful and the food was horrendous..... We should have known when every other place that we tried was on a 30 minute or longer wait, yet were sat here right away..Worst restaurant in Galena!! read more

One of the best Bloody Mary's I've ever had. Plus we visited on All You Can Eat Fish Fry Friday, very crispy, not greasy flaky tasty fish. Cute decor. Friendly bartenders. read more

Went in on a recommendation of a friend. I had the filet which was excellent and my wife had the Halibut. Whoever hand cuts their steaks is an artist, not an ounce of fat or grizzle on a delicious cut of meat. The potatoes gratin was the best side of the night. The carrot cake was a perfect way to end the evening. Our server was excellent. read more

10/17/2015 4pm We always stay at the De Sota house when we are in Galena. And have grown accustomed to the inexperienced and somewhat curt wait staff in the tavern - particularly the bar. We are used to waiting long periods of time for service from the slow bartenders. But, today after shopping for hours, we cam back to the hotel to relax before dinner. We decided to stop at the bar and grab bottles of beer to take to our room. Apparently one of the bus boys (slender, dark hair and glasses) determined that where we were standing to begin our wait for the attention of one of the bartenders was unacceptable to him. Instead of asking us to please move he screamed "You can't stand there. You have to move now!" Embarrassed by this very rude call out from the bus boy we quickly left the packed bar area and went to our room. Beerless. This is not an isolated case of rudeness from various staff at the De Soto but will be the last for us. We won't be back. read more

I'm writing this review for The Courtyard Restaurant located on the lower level of the DeSoto Hotel in Galena, IL. I have never had a bad meal there. I have had both wonderful breakfasts and lunches. During the busy season they put on a wonderful lunch buffet. Everything has always tasted freshed and has been presented beautifully. I have had good service..a tad slow at times but normally very good. read more

My husband and I were celebrating a romantic weekend for our anniversary and some time alone after the birth of our first son. We are from Des Moines and make frequent trips to Galena. We decided to try to the General's Restaurant. After we were seated we were greeted by our server who took our drink order. She left our table at 7:28. She returned at 7:45! She apologized and told us someone else would be taking care of us and left our table. We then waited until 7:55 for another server to arrive. She took our order and our food came in an appropriate amount of time. The food was good, nothing to rave about but still okay. We each had the filet which I felt lacked flavor but was cooked perfectly. After our dinner was over my husband and I were full. The waitress offered us a dessert on the house but we did not care for anything else. She also offered an after dinner drink but we do not drink. No manager ever came to the table to apologize for the almost 30 minute wait and the staff did not work very hard to compensate us for our wasted time and frustration. In all of our trips to Galena this was the worst customer service we had ever received. read more

My wife and I ate here for our 1st anniversary. had reservations for 2 weeks ahead got there and had to wait 45 minutes to be seated. while we waited we watched other people get up and angrily leave because they were getting no service or food. Yes this was a busy night, but that's why management preps for these days. Talking about management there apparently is none. I wanted to love this place, but they fell way short. The building is the best part of this place, don't bother with the over priced food. We didn't get our bread and plates were not correct when brought out. We were there for 3 hrs, and we watched many groups leave after getting no sevice,( mainly from Jeff Ward who was throwing a hissy fit all night) We paid with cash because of his aggressive behavior towards others we didn't want to give him personal info after letting him know our disappointment. Want to thank Chloe for stepping up and getting the ball rolling after Jeff's meltdown. She should be promoted! It was like no other night I have experienced. Groups were glaring at the waiters as they ran by quickly. Four different tables left from not getting sevice while we were waiting on our food. Don't bother with this place! read more

Shared a couple things. Fried Cheese Curds and their version of a Cuban Sandwich. That "Cuban" was just not good. They used their "pulled pork" and it was the worst pulled pork we've tasted. I mean, it's not that hard to make tasty pulled pork.. and those fries? they tasted like paper. When we mentioned this to our server/bartender, she said something like .. we don't make those here, you should have had the homemade potato chip...lol...well, you are the server, maybe you could have told us what you would recommend? hmm? Cheese curds? they were OK, eatable. Not the best we've ever had by any means. My advice to this establishment? Close down 2 of your eateries and focus on doing one well..that staircase? absolutely beautiful but everything else looks like a mish mash of rehabs from the 70s and 80s. Just doesn't do justice to the potential of this place. It's sad but true. I will say that guy in the soda shop was very knowledgeable and nice! read more

We recently went to Green Street Tavern. We've been there before on several occasions, but this experience may have been our last. When we walked in, we waited by the bar as the sign said to wait to be seated. We saw one waitress talking animatedly with a couple she was waiting on. The bartender ignored us and finally, the waitress observed us and said to sit anywhere. We sat in the rear dining room and we gave our drink order. After receiving our drinks, we gave our food order. I ordered soup and my date, a salad. We waited for over 15 minutes. The place was dead. We were the only ones in the dining room and the bar had another couple. We observed the bartender bussing a table and asked him to ask our waitress if she knew where our soup and salad was. The kitchen is in the basement and a runner or the waitstaff brings the food up. Some time later, the soup and salad arrives along with our entrées. The waitress says she doesn't know why the chef did this, but everything came together. I informed her to take the entrées back downstairs and keep them warm because we were not going to eat cold food. She complied. My soup came in a small cup and saucer with the outside of the cup covered in soup and ladle drips in the saucer. My date's salad was sparse with wilted lettuce, two thin slices of cucumber and two cherry tomatoes. The meal was corned beef which was over boiled and a two inch thick line of fat on each piece. There were three, one quarter slices of red potatoes that were literally grey. The vegetables were over steamed with no flavor. This was supposed to be the special. My date got a refill on the ice tea. I was not offered a refill on my coffee. The tip was commensurate with the level of service. For $11.95 per person, it was not worth it. Save your money at this place. There are many fine restaurants on Galena's Main street that would serve you a better meal for your money. read more